Raid Partners

Button fidgeted as they step off of the castle grounds, and every eye fell upon them. In that very instant, Button knew he’d made a mistake telling Luna that her outfit was good, because it meant every other pony was thinking that, and their eyes weren’t leaving the two of them anytime soon.

“Button? What is it mine stallion?” Luna tucked the bits she got from the treasury away in her backpack before she glanced over at her quiet coltfriend.

He frowned for a moment, before scratching the back of his head. He could see the nobles start talking amongst themselves now, and felt his spirits sink. “I’m… I’m just not use to being the center of attention I guess.”

“...Does it bother you? I am Princess Luna after. All ponies will always be looking at us.” Luna shrugged, having grown used to all the articles written since her return. “And many may not be kind.”

Button didn’t want to just say that he wasn’t okay with it. He was supposed to be her coltfriend after all. But she was right about how many would not be kind, and he had never dealt with these many judging eyes. “O-only a little. I’ll live though, I-I promise.”

“...I’ll be here for you through it all, mine stallion.” Luna nuzzled into his head.

Button blushed brighter as her chest came against his face as well, and an all too audible gasp escaped the crowd surrounding them The murmurs then became louder, but he shut his eyes against them. It didn’t matter that they were strangers, their opinions didn’t matter. Only those you love matter and that includes your mom and Luna. Mom and Luna. Mom and…

Button stepped away from Luna, breaking the nuzzle as he trembled.

“Button? What is it? What is wrong?” Luna bit her lip, hiding it as well as she could.

Button noticed it, and he just felt worse as he stepped back over to Luna. “Nothing. I just, um, thought I was going to cough or something, and didn’t want to hit you or anything. Let’s just get going.”

“We should not keep things from each other. We will talk more when we are in our home… alright?” Luna took his hand.

Button looked at her hand, and then looked at everyone who was still staring at him. He bit into his lip, but he could give her this much still. “A-alright.”

“Alright… We need to locate a bed store!” Luna looked around eagerly, before frowning. “Do you see a bed store?”

Button took a half hearted glance around, mostly just wanting to keep his head down right now, and make himself as small as possible. “N-no, and I’ve never really been here before, so...“

Luna nodded, walking over to a stallion. “Excuse me gentle stallion? Dost thou know the location of a bed store?”

The stallion grinned at her, trying to not make too much of a show of flexing his muscles, as all he could really think about was how he would make such better arm candy than some pipsqueak for a princess. “Why yes I do, and I could even come to carry the bed for you.”

Button’s shoulders slumped as he followed Luna, wishing she had chosen someone more his size. Or, for that matter, they could be back at his house as just the two of them.

“...Just the directions, if thou art to be so kind.” Luna said calmly, not allowing herself to get heated, though she more tightly intertwined her fingers with Button’s.

The stallion, to his credit, managed to keep his smile, and quickly gave them a set of directions. Or, Luna the directions, and Button a quiet smack on the back of his skull. Button, for his part, didn’t make a sound.

Luna’s eyes watched carefully and narrowed. “Hold citizen…” She let go of Button’s hand and turned to where she knew a guard was following them incognito. “Did thou witness what our eyes did?”

The guard frowned. If he were honest, he agreed with the rumors running around the castle, and now that he was getting a good look at Button, he couldn’t help but feel like he was a liability. That it would be all too easy for him to be used against the princess. But he also didn’t want to lose his job, so he had to be smart. “I don’t quite know what you may have seen, princess.”

“We witnessed-”

Button pulled on Luna’s sleeve, and whispered, “Don’t worry about it. It was nothing.”

Luna bent down with a frown and lowered her voice, speaking firmly, but lovingly. “Button, th- you must understand that if we are together, ponies will try to hurt you to get to me… to make me angry or…” She shook her head. “I love you. I will not have you be hurt and ignore it, and neither will you. Yes twould be simple to ignore this. He only thwacked your head, yes? But if we do so, it is making a statement. One that says if you do no real harm, the royal princesses will look the other way. That cannot be. As my colt friend, you have protections. He violated these protections.”

Unfortunately, Luna hadn’t noticed something that Button had noticed all too well. The other nobles, interested in what may happen, had roughly circled around the three, and they did not look happy about what their princess had said. One even stepped forward, and, in a calm, regal voice that had a tinge of steel to it, said, ‘If the protections are his, should he not be the one to press the charges?”

Luna swallowed hard. “Aye, this is true, though, as our chosen paramour is new to Canterlot we are simply making certain he understands the protections which are his.” She turned to Button her expression serious but kind. A simple mask worn among the populace, though she hoped Button could see through it. Please, mine stallion, understand what I was telling you. Do not make this mistake…

Unfortunately for the two of them, the stallion who had started this all stepped forward, arms crossed as he stood over Button. “So, what did I do?”

Button glanced back at him, and then to the others surrounding them, before turning to Luna. For a moment, he held her gaze, before letting his eyes fall. “I think I may have actually left the stove on when I made the pancakes this morning, your highness. I should head back and make sure there isn’t any damage to our apartment while you go shopping.”

Luna chewed her tongue, attempting to figure out anyway to rescue this situation. If she let Button go, she would prove to the nobles that it was just a phase. If she spoke up and had the stallion cited, Button would be seen as weak. If she forced Button to stay… I’d be no worse than Nightmare Moon. Desperate, Luna reached for Button’s hand; not to force him to stay, but giving him the option to stay.

Button couldn’t take it at this point though, and just hung his head, knowing how pitifully stupid he was. This was just another reminder of how worthless he was. At least… at least he was so weak that they probably wouldn’t expect him to have been the one to do the unthinkable, and hit a princess.

Only the worst of ponies did that.

“Please, princess-”

“Luna, I told you… to you, I am Luna. Do not ever feel that you need to call me Princess. You are mine… mine chosen. And if you think that you left the stove on, then we shall check together.” Luna grasped his hand firmly.

Button could feel the sheer animosity from the ponies around them. The nobles considered that the stronger, better, more presentable the princesses were, the better they were. Now this stupid colt was causing a princess to demean herself to his level. The only one who did not feel this way was the guard, who felt sorry for his princess. She shouldn’t have to handle this level of hate for that which she loves.

As for Button, while he could feel all of this, he couldn’t hurt her that badly. So, like with the hand, he looked up, smiled to her, and hoped for a compromise. “Luna, come on, how useful was I going to be anyways. Besides, this way, if the stove was on, I can grab one of your chfs and have him help me make you something great! Besides, you know what sort of bed will go with the rest of your room, while I’d be absolutely useless. Okay?”

Luna glanced to her guard, the question and sorrow clear in her expression. Why can’t he understand?

The guard wished he could help, but Button was actually getting some points from him. The boy wasn’t a fighter, or a politician, he didn’t carry himself like that. But that forced smile, the fear of hurting Luna… It was admirable. He stepped over, trying to think about what could do, before he figured something out, and turned to the nearest noble near him.

He whispered something to the noble, the noble whispered back, and then he gave him a worm of worry.

“Don’t you think insulting the lover of a princess might be treason?”

The instant he saw fear in the noble’s eyes, he was happy that he hadn’t revealed himself fully. This was far more helpful.

As the mob disappeared, the stallion in question began to find himself alone, or almost at least, and the guard came up to him. “Excuse me, lad, but I would suggest you move along. It’s not nice to thwack young colts on the back of their heads, and I have half a mind to give you one back.”

The stallion huffed up his chest, but as he heard the scottish brogue, and saw the heavy club at his side, he realized that this might be a bad fight for him. The guardsmen waved him goodbye as he let out a muffled curse, and turned back to the princess. “Sorry about that, your highness.”

Luna sighed. “It’s alright now. Shall we continue on to find our bed Button?”

The guard bit his lip, and Button and him exchanged looks,. Button then sighed, his shoulders slumping as he turned back to Luna. “I... I don’t want to cause another incident like that Luna. I-I’m sorry.”

Luna frowned. “You are right… Button, let’s go home I have a phone call to make… I think it’ll help.”

Button bit into his lip as she turned back to the castle. “Are you sure you don’t want to first get the bed?”

She turned to the guard and handed him the bag of bits. “We have need of a Princess size bed which is one quarter to one half cloud.”

The guard paused for a moment, before shrugging. He was to be out anyways, and his princess could use rest. “Yes, my highness.”

Button looked down, ashamed for having ruined this for Luna. He barely whispered, “I’m sorry,” as he turned back towards the castle.

Luna wrapped her arms around him. “No, forgive me… I should have thought to make this call earlier.”

Button was curious as to what she may have meant, but quickly discarded the question. Today had been rough enough, and he just wanted to rest. For things to be simple.

He really doubted that even could happen now.